Revitalize Des Plaines!

I grew up in the Villas on Grant Drive between 196...

2012-02-07T07:16:38.747-06:00

I grew up in the Villas on Grant Drive between 1962 and 1975. That Tudor building on Thacker used to house a barbershop. The inner circle was often the place softball teams practiced before playing games at West park. A lot of memories, thanks for this.

I think I stii have the 'yearbook', titled...

2012-01-07T21:06:06.315-06:00

I think I stii have the 'yearbook', titled "Centi-quad-o-rama"

back in the day, going out meant going to the choo...

2012-01-07T21:04:14.050-06:00

back in the day, going out meant going to the choo choo for lunch, or the Sugar Bowl. weekends I remember as Romano's.

my dad used to work there, back in the 1960's....

2012-01-07T20:55:37.023-06:00

my dad used to work there, back in the 1960's. he would take me to work, every once in a while, I loved all the new cars !

I certainly remember the old pool. I was a senior...

2011-12-11T15:03:32.207-06:00

I certainly remember the old pool. I was a senior leader in Vormitaaag's freshman PE class. At the end of the hour one freshman boy was trying to finish his laps and everyone else had gone in to shower, he got to the deep end and couldn't go any further, needless to say I jumped in. I told my wife that we had to swim in the raw in those days and she could not believe it.

Thank you for posting this information, fascinatin...

2011-11-30T13:32:59.808-06:00

Thank you for posting this information, fascinating to me because Dr. Earle was my great grandfather.

Ann Draper

I am researching for a book on Peter Michael Hoffm...

2011-06-30T16:39:29.495-05:00

I am researching for a book on Peter Michael Hoffman, Cook Co. sherrif. If you have any information, please email me at kenjstoll@yahoo.com...I would really appreciate it. Thanks

Wow that's the old pool? Cool! This one is mor...

2011-05-09T19:20:54.938-05:00

Wow that's the old pool? Cool! This one is more cooler than the new one. The new one flooded first floor because the pool is in second floor instead of first.. :(, the best part is we got home early and the bad part is that we weren't able to go to our lockers...:(

I wonder how often the train cars, engines and par...

2011-04-26T19:38:33.699-05:00

I wonder how often the train cars, engines and parts had to be replaced during the heavy daily use they incurred? The 1940's and 1950's vintage O gauge Lionel Trains were built to last indefinitely but they were never intended for commercial use. Their modern counterparts are made to run an average of one hundred hours, the average time a child plays with a train over the child's lifetime. Just sayin'.

An architect once told me "you can revitalize...

2011-04-23T18:41:49.618-05:00

An architect once told me "you can revitalize by demolition" and he was right, this letter is absolutely correct. I am not familiar with the buildings mentioned in this article, however another factor is the historical significance of the buildings that are being demolished, once they are gone you can never get them back.

I remember how Des Plaines let the Chevy dealer go...

2011-01-18T23:09:50.844-06:00

I remember how Des Plaines let the Chevy dealer go to Park Ridge.

Back then, people were fat and happy as a good economy kept tax revenue to the city healthy.

I now laugh at the cuts in education and police budgets the city has to endure.

Let's keep scaring away businesses just to keep the crabtree people happy.

Hey everyone, we are going back on the market, her...

2011-01-17T23:18:52.632-06:00

Hey everyone, we are going back on the market, here are some pictures I just had taken, really looks great. Larry, the current owner has poured money into it this last year, making the exterior very nice and set for maybe another 90 years? Please if someone has any interest or has a friend who can live here and keep it intact, have them give me a call. The underlying zoning allows a lot of condos, in a 10 story building, so when the condo market comes back, I would like to see this already in the hands of someone who will keep it as a log cabin. We had condo builders try to buy it in the past. I think we have enough of them.

http://tours8.vht.com/CBI/T50156893

I just love your blog and I think your article is ...

2010-12-05T09:41:24.027-06:00

I just love your blog and I think your article is so awesome!! I love antiques and what a way to go green!! I think the towels would just be so adorable also. Thanks for sharing the story about how it was made. Makes it that more special! Take care, Fran.

Well written and thought provoking content. A com...

2010-11-27T00:43:27.075-06:00

Well written and thought provoking content. A comprehensive plan with responsibilities and due dates is needed. The condo and multi-dwelling units provide mainly an evening population. Unfortunately few businesses can survive with such a small demand pool. Who are the demand generators during the daytime? Targeting businesses, occupied offices and corporations that bring people into downtown during the daytime will double the business demand. Get some daytime workers in the area and watch how things blossom. ...just sayin'

I have a photo of my birthday party inside the Cho...

2010-11-10T22:54:00.366-06:00

I have a photo of my birthday party inside the Choo Choo with the train stopped in front of me with my lunch on top of one of the cars. What a great place & memory. Approx 1957. Those were carefree days.

Phil - that sounds like a great idea, I'll sug...

2010-11-09T08:50:27.352-06:00

Phil - that sounds like a great idea, I'll suggest it to the management.
Pat - Mayor Arredia's committee reconvened as the Des Plaines Theater Preservation Society in early 2003 when the theatre was threatened with destruction. After the theatre was sold, it worked with the owner on a number of improvements. Ultimately DPTPS was unable to reach a workable arrangement with the owner and the last board meeting was held in 2008. I served as DPTPS Secretary for several years and this blog is a direct outgrowth.

The owner is funding the current renovations out of pocket. In the current project the theatre will be receiving new exterior doors and windows, the dividing wall and false ceiling will be removed, walls will be patched and painted, additional seating added, the stage will be made functional, and the lobby will be set up to function as a cafe during off hours. More work will be done in future phases. The tenant will be Stage One Productions, until recently located across the street.

I was on the "Save the Des Plaines Theatre&qu...

2010-11-09T08:36:39.446-06:00

I was on the "Save the Des Plaines Theatre" committee 5 years ago. What happened to it? What will you be doing to the theatre?
Pat Olson

Maybe somebody hold a reunion at the theater for t...

2010-11-09T06:38:41.914-06:00

Maybe somebody hold a reunion at the theater for those of us who worked there as managers, ushers or candy girls? I was from the Class of '65.

It was my first job. I was an usher from 1965-66, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Mr. Giles was the manager. We even wore red scotch plaid coats and baggie black pants with suspenders and a bow tie. Pay was not all that great...85 cents an hour, but we looked real smart and got free popcorn from the candy girls!

Phil Heller

I am staggered to read on your blog that DesPlaine...

2010-10-24T15:26:40.457-05:00

I am staggered to read on your blog that DesPlaines does not have a historic preservation or landmarking ordinance. Does the village not landmark buildings in any way?

Do you have a post about the villa at Maryville? I am trying to learn more about its architecture and history. Thank you.

lexcordis@gmail.com

Although I suppose it's a bit curious that a m...

2010-10-17T20:45:57.360-05:00

Although I suppose it's a bit curious that a man who bounced around so many different occupations would be able to afford a large, elaborate home at age 30, unless Peter paid for it.

I found some more interesting information regardin...

2010-10-17T20:17:25.179-05:00

I found some more interesting information regarding Lela Rae and Jack Howard O'Connell. Shortly before their marriage, a reporter discovered that they had in fact married nearly three years earlier in Waukegan, a fact suppressed by the Lake County Clerk. Their participation in the double marriage was, in fact, a re-marriage.

Rae Hoffman's home is actually directly behind my own. It's a beautiful yellow brick colonial. I have also heard the gangster rumors - my grandmother says she visited with Rae a few times, and she said Jack had been an "importer-exporter" and died in early February, 1946.

I looked him up on ancestry.com; his 1918 draft card lists his occupation as "Examiner for Cook County Commission". His 1930 Census lists "Real Estate Broker" and his 1942 draft card lists his employer as Mar-Salle, 168 N. May St. A classified ad in the Tribune from 1942 shows a bottling plant at that address. So who knows...

The original hospital in Chicago was Lutheran Deac...

2010-10-16T20:31:15.313-05:00

The original hospital in Chicago was Lutheran Deaconess.

LGH moved out of the nw side of chicago. What was ...

2010-10-16T20:26:11.066-05:00

LGH moved out of the nw side of chicago. What was the name of the hospital preceeding LGH?

Brad: Peter Hoffman had one son, Gordon. Gordon ...

2010-10-09T12:22:20.874-05:00

Brad: Peter Hoffman had one son, Gordon. Gordon died without issue. Pete did have a grandson, Peter Johnson, the son of Evelyn Hoffman Johnson and Bennett Johnson, and this grandson also had a son, Peter. My son is named Peter after Peter Hoffman as well, who whould be Pete's great, great, grandson.

Brown moved into the space previously occupied by ...

2010-10-06T18:25:52.404-05:00

Brown moved into the space previously occupied by Sears. I have updated that "swapped" with a link to the rest of Brown's story.